The Pirates of the Gale
by kurisu313
Summary: AU GaLe in a One-piece-esque world, full of adventure and wondrous treasure! The story of Levy, the self-titled Captain of the Shadow Gear pirates and Gajeel, pirate hunter extraordinaire. We start as the diminutive Captain finds the very thing that she's been searching for...and much more than she bargained for!
1. New Adventures!

Welcome to the great sea. It is an enormous ocean, stretching around almost half of the entire globe. In some places it is quiet and tranquil and in others it is tumultuous and stormy, but everywhere it is promising. There is no large land mass within the great sea, but there are thousands and thousands of islands.

It is a sea filled with pirates, for it is the dreams of adventure that draw many from the workaday lives on the continents. So many islands, hidden treasure, fabulous fauna and flora, climates never before seen – it is an amazing place, if one could call it a single place.

The start of our tale concerns a small island, little more than a bunch of rocks. Hundreds of wooden platforms and gangplanks are built upon its surface. In some ways it is a graveyard, composed of shipwrecks. It is a pirate citadel, the province of the Alcatraz Pirates. The lower areas are docking bays, and the upper platforms are dormitories, prisons…and treasuries.

In the dead of night a tiny vessel sails into the docks, small even for a fishing vessel. As quietly as she can, a small woman leaps off of the boat and moors it to the docks. She is a woman of no more than eighteen years, though with a stature that would lead many to guess much younger. Her sapphire blue hair is tied back by a red bandana with the symbol of a broken cog. A small cuirass is tied to her waist.

She is Captain Levy McGarden of the Shadow Gear Pirates.

Sneakily, in an overtly melodramatic fashion, she tiptoes deeper into the citadel, wary of drunken watchmen. The fools are too lax, secure in their fastness. She giggles. Her diminutive size makes sneaking quite easy – she can easily fit behind crates and barrels and even thick pillars as she makes her way up into the higher reaches of the fortress.

Now comes the more tricky part. She warily enters rooms, checking their contents, hurriedly backing out as she finds sleeping occupants. Finally, she reaches the highest level and there is her goal: the pirate's booty! Heaped treasure chests full of gold coins and jewels.

Vainly, she tries to move a chest, but it is far too heavy for such a little person. Pouting, she takes out a cloth sack and begins to load it with as much as she can carry. It is far less than she'd like, but she had long ago come to terms with the fact that she was not a hulking brute. Small people ate less, after all, so she needed less money for her food bill. Jet and Droy should have come, the wimps. This was easy!

In one particular chest though, she comes across her main goal. It is not gold, nor jewels, but it is valuable none the less. She stows it in the bag.

Tiptoeing back out onto the highest platforms, she freezes as a shout cuts through the night air.

"Alarm! Alarm!" A pirate shouts from the lowest level. "There's an unknown boat! We have an intruder!"

Levy curses quietly and scans around, desperately looking for a hiding place or a way out. Why didn't Jet and Droy come? She needed help! No, she was Captain Levy! She could find her own way out of this mess! It would be a few moments before any enemy could find her: they were still rousing from their slumber.

Suddenly a huge searchlight swung across her platform from a sentry tower. She squeals – ahem no, she exclaims in surprise and jumps forward, rolling over to a nearby crate for shelter. She pouts vaguely as a thought occurs to her. She lifts the lid of the crate and peers inside. It's pretty small for a human and half filled with what appears to be blankets or sails – a lucky boon.

Pretty small for a human indeed, the thinks as she slips inside and curls up with her booty…er, treasure. She waits patiently as boots hammer by on the wooden decking as the pirates search for their intruder. At one point, someone actually lifts the crate to check behind it. She holds her breath and hopes that they can't hear her heart hammering away in her chest.

This goes on for a very long time, and by accident Levy drifts asleep. When her eyes flutter open, she notices light streaming in through the gaps in the wood of the crate. So, the sun had risen. Very, very slowly, she lifts the lid and peeks out. The upper platform is once again deserted. Sneaking over to the edge, she peers down.

Pirates litter the walkways and platforms below, clearly on edge. Her boat is still tied up, dwarfed by the galleon next to it. Okay, this was tricky, but all she had to do was reach the bottom. Her ship must be much faster than the big bloated thing.

There was a noise, the most horrible sound Levy had ever heard. Next to her, her sack had opened and coins were falling out, skittering onto the platform below. She quickly stopped it, but by then an hundred set of eyes were staring up at her. She went bright red, realising that the game was up.

A man in a tricorn hat and long blue coat stumped over to where the coins were falling to gaze up at her. He had an enormous greying beard and a smile missing several teeth.

"Captain Alastair Longlas of the Alcatraz Pirates," Levy stated defiantly.

"Aye. And who do I have the honour of addressing, little missy?" He asked, voice clearly indicating his amusement of the situation.

Levy pouted and flailed in a petulant tantrum. "How can you not recognize the great Captain Levy McGarden of the Shadow Gear pirates, terror of the great sea?"

"Never heard of you," he admitted. "What is the greatest deed to your name?"

"Well, we…never mind! I have this sack of your treasure, and by the pirate code, it belongs to me now!"

"Oh? How presumptuous of you. How exactly do you plan to get away with it?" He spread his arms wide, indicating the pirates surrounding her, chuckling at the humour of the situation. Levy looked behind her and noticed that two pirates had scaled the ladder to the top floor while she was busy talking to the captain. She turned back to regard him.

"You'll remember this day. The day in which you _almost _caught Captain Levy McGarden!" She took a running leap from the platform, grabbing a section of rigging overhead and sliding down to a lower level. More pirates waited here, rushing her from both sides. She hurriedly tied the bag around her torso to free up both her arms. She drew her cutlass and pistol.

Fighting the enemy in one piece was silly, so she rushed towards one set of oncoming enemies, seeking to fight them alone. She shot the first man and he fell screaming off of the gantry. She parried the next, though he was far too strong for her to hold against. So she didn't try and ducked low, tripping him and sending him plummeting as well.

As she ran on, five men on an adjacent gantry fired at her with pistols, but she merely smiled and ploughed on. Pistols were only good to about ten paces, and their target was rather small! More men were coming, so she holstered her spent pistol and jumped to grab more rigging. Her sword flashed and it swung free sending her over to another platform near to Alcatraz's docks, if much higher up. She needed to find a way down quickly…

Her ship set ablaze, cut free from its moorings. She watched as it slowly broke apart and capsized.

"You bastards! That was my only ship! For that, I'm going to take your galleon!" It was an empty threat – she couldn't possibly sail it by herself, but it made her feel good to say it. She was now thoroughly screwed, so she took the only option remaining to her. Scabbarding her cutlass she took a running jump.

It was horrendously far, but she made it. Instead of crashing into wooden gangplanks, she hit water. Thankfully it was deep enough to support her. Surfacing with a gasp, she kicked off as hard as she could, swimming out towards the open ocean.

But it had been a vain gambit. Two splashes could be heard as two men dived in after her, much larger and more powerful swimmers than she. It took a little while, but she was eventually dragged screaming back to the citadel. Bereft of her treasure and weapons she was hurled to the wooden floor as Captain Longlas trudged over to her. Dozens of feet surrounded her, but she refused to look up as the captain chuckled loudly.

"What a brave lass you are! But what sort of fool believes that they can take on an entire pirate crew by themselves and win?"

"Captain!" A man called out. He was the one who had confiscated the treasure. "Take a look at this!" A rolled piece of parchment switched hands and the captain's brow furrowed. He waved it at the prostrate Levy.

"Well, well, well. Now, what would ye be wanting with this?" He asked snidely.

"That's none of your business!" She snapped. The captain gestured and one of his men kicked her in the ribs. She cursed but managed to avoid giving any noise of pain. These bastards weren't worth it.

"You see, this is potentially a very interesting treasure. Either it is worthless or it is the most valuable treasure in this entire citadel. It is claimed that these here Dead Sea Scrolls give the directions to the most wondrous treasure to ever exist, but no one can read this stupid ancient language. So, why do you want it? Do you have a translator lined up for it?"

"Couldn't be me could it?" Levy asked, batting her eyelids, "after all, women can't read!"

"No, women are only good for one thing, right lads?" The captain laughed uproariously as his men cheered. Hands grabbed at Levy, hoisting her to her feet as she cursed and snapped with her teeth at any fingers that strayed too close. But there were just so many!

"Captain!" Shouted a lookout. "Mast ahoy!"

"What?" The captain walked to the edge of the platform, drawing an eyeglass. He examined the ship. It was a tiny vessel, no bigger than the girl's had been. It had a single black sail with the jolly roger that looked like a dragon's skull.

There was a single occupant, sitting imperiously upon his throne. A tall, muscular man, bedecked in piercings. His eyes were an unsettling red. His hair was black, tied in long dreadlocks by metal bands and held back by a red bandana. He wore britches and black longcoat left open to reveal his sculpted and scarred torso. An enormous blade was strapped to his back and a black monkey perched upon his shoulder.

The eyeglass dropped to the decking from nerveless fingers. Captain Longlas stood transfixed for a moment, unable to move. At last, he turned to bellow at his men.

"It's Pirate Hunter Gajeel Redfox! All men to the cannon! Sink that ship now!"

"Captain! He's already gone!" The sentry called with fright. It was true. The ship was now empty. Gajeel Redfox powered through the water like a torpedo, clambering the pier easily with his great strength. Deckhands rushed to meet him and were cut down in instants. More and more men went to fight.

Levy took a look at the men who held her. They were distracted, so she raised both of her feet at the same time and drove them into their feet. They cried out and she slipped from their grasp, expertly pilfering one of their swords as she went.

She spun and lashed out, ducking and weaving as men came at her. She may not be physically strong, but she was small and lithe, dodging incoming blows with the skill of one who always kept their eyes open, never backing down.

A voice spoke, loud and commanding, and it was as if everyone froze. Gajeel had made it to the platform on which they now stood. He held a wanted poster in one hand.

"Captain Alistair Longlas of the Alcatraz Pirates. Bounty: one million gold coins. Dead or…no wait," Gajeel's mouth curved into an evil smile. He tapped the scroll in his hands, which clearly showed a painting of the captain's face. The word 'alive' had been crossed out. "Sorry, seems like you've been a pesk for too long, Gihi!"

"What are you doing, you fools?" Longlas shouted. "There are a hundred of you! Kill him!"

With a terrific roar, men ran at Gajeel from all sides. They died in the order they arrived, Gajeel's massive blade cleaving heads and limbs with equal ease. On top of that, the black monkey was there, jumping on anyone's head who tried to take him from behind, slowing them long enough for Gajeel to finish them.

Seeing her escape, Levy rushed to his side as quickly as she could. Even as fighting raged, they talked.

"Can you help me, Mr Redfox? I'm not one of them!" She shouted over the din.

"Oh? Are you a prisoner?" He asked, sweeping his sword through two men at once.

"Not exactly…in fact, you could call me your greatest rival! I am in fact, a great pirate captain!"

Gajeel's brow rose as he regarded the tiny, water-logged woman. "You?"

"Yes me! Is that hard to believe?" She gasped as a man rushed too fast for her to react. A sword passed over her head from behind cutting him down. Gajeel grinned and patted her head condescendingly.

"Whatever you say, Shorty! I'm sure that you're the most fearsome pirate in the great sea, Gihihi!"

"Don't talk to me like that!" She raged.

Gajeel laughed as the fighting continued. Levy couldn't make any opinion other than this man was insanely strong. Men threw themselves forward in unending waves and he ploughed through heedless, laughing and smiling.

Pistols fired, but Gajeel deflected the bullets with his massive broadsword. Some bright spark swung a cannon around at them, killing several of his own men as the cannonball hurtled at them. Levy yelped as a powerful hand grabbed her by the scruff and with a powerful bound, Gajeel took them both out of the blast radius. The raven haired man drew a pistol and shot the cannoneer dead from over twenty paces. He tossed the pistol in the air and to Levy's distinct amazement, the monkey grabbed it and began to reload.

Then, no more men came. They were all dead. Captain Longlas took a step back in fear as Gajeel advanced, smiling.

"I…I'll come alive!" He croaked.

"Sorry, no dice. If you're alive, I don't get paid." Levy decided to look away as there was a horrendous 'thunk'. When she turned back, Gajeel was pushing something into a small sack and the captain was now a headless corpse. Gajeel yawned and turned back to his ship.

"Wait!" Levy cried.

"Why?" He asked languidly.

"There's a tonne of loot upstairs! Don't you want it!?"

Gajeel shrugged. "It's not mine. Pirates are the ones who steal. I'm sure that the marines will redistribute it properly." His tone implied that he believed the marines would do no such thing.

"B…but…I need a ride!" Levy shouted. "You can't leave a damsel in distress!"

"Why not? I'm a pirate hunter, not a hero."

"Well, I'm a pirate captain and you're a pirate hunter, you should take me in!"

"If you're a pirate, I could just kill you now," he said with a smirk as she quailed. "What was it you said? A fearsome pirate captain?"

"Well, not so fearsome," she said bashfully. "Look, can you stop being an asshole for five minutes and just give me a lift to wherever you're going next? If you leave me here, I'll die!"

Gajeel looked around, seemingly annoyed and weighing his options. The monkey jumped on his back and whacked his head. "The hell, Lily! You want me to take her? Fine then! Oi, Captain McShorterson!"

"McGarden!" Levy snapped.

"Right. Shrimpy McGarden. If you wanna come, then come. But no loot! I won't be party to any thievery!"

"Of course," she said with a wry smile, the scroll safely stowed on her person. "No loot – and it's Levy! Levy McGarden!"

"Whatever, Shortstack. Come on. It's a long ride back to the nearest marine base and I don't want to spend more time with you than I have to!" Gajeel stopped and swung his sword to point at the lookout tower. Inside, the last surviving man of the Alcatraaz pirates huddled over his knees, trembling. Gajeel smiled and walked on. It was always good to leave one alive.

That's how reputation spread.

**Hey there! This is just a story that I had rattling around, and it is purely for fun. It won't be an epically long story (as per my usual idiom), but hopefully it shall be entertaining. Just play 'He's a pirate' during action scenes and enjoy yourself!**


	2. Big Trouble From a Little Package

Levy yawned and stretched on the bow of Gajeel's small ship, _The Metalicana. _She eyed her 'saviour'. He was certainly interesting, she thought. After all, she had come to the great sea in search of thrills and excitement, and this man radiated danger.

He expertly navigated his tiny vessel, working in the rudder and sails by himself. The only help he had was his pet monkey, Lily, who sat in the crow's nest and chattered at the sight of interesting things on the horizon.

"So a pirate hunter, eh?" She asked. "What sort of boy grows up not wanting the adventure of being a pirate?"

Gajeel glared at her, and she was surprised to see the anger in that red orb. "Those who had to grow up so fast that they never got a chance. Those who had their parents killed by those villainous scum that you call adventurers."

Levy shut up very quickly, her brow furrowing. She knew a similar pain, but hadn't thought about something that ran so deep.

"You see, Captain Shortstack, it is the case that pirates are those with no respect for law. They take what they want and kill those who stand in their way." He sat down and stared at her. "Given much longer, those bastards wouldn't have given two thoughts to raping you and murdering whatever was left."

"No!" Levy snapped. "Well yes, those people do exist, but it is not what being a pirate should be about. Just look at this, the wide blue sea and vast open sky, wind whipping past: isn't this what it is all about, Mr Redfox?"

"Then you are a daydreamer. This is reality." He quickly changes tacks. "So, where on the continents are you from?"

"What!? How did you…what makes you think that I am from the continents?" Levy asked, covering herself poorly.

"Your accent. Your naivete," he replied succinctly. He rapped the floor with a boot and Lily dropped an apple into his open palm. As he took a bite, he was annoyed to note the damn monkey throw an apple to Shorty too. Well, Lily certainly had a mind of his own. "Anyone from the great sea has experienced the misery pirates bring, and would not be so stupid as to say that shit you just spouted."

"Then I shall prove you all wrong!" Levy declared, jumping to her feet and whirling to place her foot upon the very bow of the ship. "The Shadow Gear pirates will show the great sea how it can be done!"

"The Shadow Gear pirates?" Gajeel asked, raising a brow. "It's just you isn't it? A captain of one."

"Well…Jet and Droy were supposed to come with me, but chickened out at the last minute. Pah, what cowards! Just because my boat was barely big enough for me!"

"You're striking me as the decisive but impractical type," Gajeel declared loudly. It didn't appear that Levy heard him.

"Do you wanna know why I came out here? Well, I caught wind of a great adventure, but do you know what my friends and family told me?"

"That you're too little and weak to do this?"

"They said that I was too little. Too weak, they said! You know what I did?"

"You ran out of the room crying?"

"I took off by myself! I don't mind telling you that I shed a few tears, but I am an adult! I can do as I please!"

"You're an adult? You're like fourteen, tops."

"I am eighteen years of age!" Levy fumed, turning crimson. "I am perfectly sized for a lady!"

Gajeel sat back, folding his arms with a confident smirk. "Perhaps, but are you the right size to be a great pirate captain? Generally, they're a little bigger. I should know, I've killed a fair few!"

"It is the size of your heart that counts, not the size of your boobs." A moment passed. "Body! I meant to say body! Mou! Can we just get there already?"

"Not how it works, Runt. Maybe in the magical world in your head people can just end up wherever they need a few minutes after leaving dock, but in this world, it's gonna take us over a day to reach Magnolia."

"Magnolia? That's quite a big island, isn't it?" Levy asked, suddenly all genuine curiosity.

Gajeel shrugged. "It's pretty much the most stable place in these parts, practically a floating city. It has a lot of law enforcers like myself and a sizeable marine presence. It's also a pretty place, if you're a soppy sod."

"So it'd be easy to acquire a boat there," Levy mused.

"Oi, Shortstump! Don't you go stealing anyone's boat!" Gajeel jabbed a finger at her. "Now, I'm a smart enough guy. I may be a pirate hunter, but even if you go calling yourself a pirate, that's fine. But the second you transcend a law, suddenly you become my fault for letting you go. So if you do, I'm hunting you down."

"I'll have you know that I was planning to buy one," Levy sniffed. "And my name is not Shortstump! It is also not Shortstack, Shorty, Midget, Shrimp, Shortstuff or Runt!"

"Whatever you say, Captain Tiny McDwarf!" Gajeel replied heartily. He did enjoy the way she went puce with impotent rage and turned away. He guessed that she'd probably had something of a sheltered upbringing, and wasn't entirely used to being spoken to in this manner. Stuck up snob.

Then again…she'd been pretty brave with those pirates back there. Maybe she had iron in her somewhere. He looked up as Lily began to make quite a racket. He could easily understand his disquiet by the shapes of the clouds.

"Better hold on, Shortstuff, there's a storm coming."

* * *

Levy clung to the mast with all four limbs, fairly sure that her companion was a madman. As the rain pelted down in the pitch black night, he ably manoeuvred his craft, using his own weight to give extra control to the small vessel. And he was laughing about it far too much in her opinion.

Levy's eyes widened as an enormous wave began to form in front of their vessel.

"You know what you need to be a pirate?" He roared over the sound of the storm. He turned back to the wave and grinned wildly. "Luck!"

Levy closed her eyes as the maniac guided his vessel through the very heart of the tsunami.

* * *

Levy splatted down onto the boardwalk with no grace at all. She was as wet as it was possible to be. Oh sweet merciful blessed ground, never go away!

Gajeel thumped onto the wood next to her, and knelt to kiss the ground, a common good luck charm for a seafarer. Standing back up, he rung out his longcoat and shook his dreadlocks like a wet dog. With the bag containing Longlas' severed head in one hand and Lily on his shoulder, he trudged away with nary another word.

Well, screw him then, Levy thought. She kissed the ground as well, more due to her prone position than anything else and tried to take stock of her surroundings. It was mercifully sunny now, and she'd be dry soon enough, though she was shivering cold for the moment.

The port was pretty damn big. There must be a dozen galleons moored here, and a clutch of smaller vessels and fishing boats too. As she walked down the docks, people seemed to snigger as she passed. She assumed that she must look a bit pathetic right now…but once she'd dried off and had a full belly, they'd learn the error of their ways!

Her stomach grumbled at the sentiment and she hurried on off the docks. The island was covered in houses going every which way. This looks a good village to find what you're looking for, she thought. Clothes, food, boats. Banks. She needed to make a withdrawal. Hopefully, her name was still good.

* * *

Gajeel trudged right on into the great hall of Fairy Tail. As always, Mira was behind the bar, waving greetings to the traveller. Mostly everyone else averted their gaze. It wasn't worth making a problem with Gajeel. few people were dumb enough to do so.

"Get his head, Metalface?" Natsu asked cheekily, swigging his beer at the bar. "Or is it just a head of lettuce in that bag?"

Gajeel ignored him, resisting the urge to add his head to the bag. Money first, then fun! "Hey Mira, old man around?"

"He's in his office right now," she said. "You can go right on in."

With a thankful smile, Gajeel walked past the end of the bar and through a low door into the private area. The room was poorly lit, the light streaming through the window illuminating only the desk and casting the occupant beyond into shadow.

"Oh Gajeel," Makarov chuckled. "Back so soon? Bahohoho, I should have known."

Makarov swept back the mountain of wanted papers on his desk, giving Gajeel ample room to dump the head there. Makarov rolled it over to stare into the captain' vacant eyes and compare it with the wanted poster.

"Yep, that's him. A cool one million gold coins will be deposited into your bank within a day or two, Kurogane," he summarised with a chuckle at the end. After all, that also meant a rather nice hundred thousand for the guild coffers!

"No probs, old man. The asshole was small-time anyway, but thinking he could set up a base this close to Magnolia…it makes my blood boil." Gajeel scowled at the very thought. What scum they all were. A thought came to mind. "Hey gramps, you ever heard of the Shadow Gear pirates?"

"Hmm?" Makarov's eyebrows rose. "Can't say that I have. Any news?"

Gajeel shook his head. "Never mind. Just some kid playing pirates. No big deal."

* * *

Levy had thankfully been able to make a sizeable withdrawal from the bank. Apparently, her name still held some sway, but she doubted that would last very long at all. She needed to be away from here an making her own fortune pretty shortly…she scowled at her choice of words, but then the waitress brought her food and all was forgotten.

Meats and cheeses and bread…it was a beautiful sight for her eyes. The waitress smiled as the tiny woman began to dig in.

"Not seen you around these parts before," she said. "You just sail in?"

"Indeed. I'll have you know that I'm the captain of a powerful and notorious pirate crew," Levy boasted. She never noticed every single table around her glance over, hopeful for an easy bounty. Seeing what appeared to be a child playing in costume, they all turned away disappointed.

"Well, I hope a great pirate won't forget to pay us, Captain!" The waitress giggled.

Levy looked aghast. "Of course not! In fact, let me get my money out…" She dropped her little sack of gold on the table and took out a few coins, including a sizeable tip. A few eyes returned to the table as she did so. Now that was interesting…

"How kind," the waitress said, counting the money. "That gets a name, I think. I am Mira, and I hope no-one is listening to our conversation!" Hurriedly, the patrons returned to their meals, clearly scared of the demure woman. Levy appeared to miss that completely, stowing her money and producing the scroll she had won from the pirates. It seemed to survive the storm just fine, making Levy curious of its powers.

Her eyes scanned it quickly and expertly. This was certainly an ancient language. If it indeed was what she hoped, it would provide directions to the greatest treasure in the whole world! Screw everyone who looked down her as nothing more than a child, she was one of the few people with the necessary skills to use this scroll.

…_and this was her legacy…_

* * *

It took her a few days, but after purchasing a couple of maps and plotting her course according to the scroll's instructions (which were frustratingly riddle-like), she had a definite plan of action. She headed down to the docks and purchased a small boat. It had a small cabin, but one of the benefits of being titchy was that the uncomfortably small ship was perfectly sized for her!

She got a few supplies of hardy food that would last a week or so in transit. The last thing she bought was a crate of oranges to help ward off scurvy. She was heading down to the docks to set off on her adventure, struggling under the weight of it when she tripped and fell.

Slowly pulling herself up, she saw that the oranges had gone everywhere and quickly began to gather them. As she reached for one orange, a large hand beat her to it.

"So, really heading on out, Shorty?" Gajeel asked. "It seems like you don't even have your sea legs yet!"

"I have spent two days not tripping over once!" Levy huffed. "Don't treat me like an invalid just because you stumble upon me in my moment of weakness!" She stood up, hefting the crate again. Gajeel watched her arms tremble under the weight.

"Hey, are you really serious about this? It's a big world out there, filled with bad men and all kinds of nasty monsters. Not to mention the weather. What if you hit a storm like the other day?"

"Then I'll rely on luck!" Levy stated. "That's what you said, isn't it? A pirate's greatest asset is luck."

"Well, I…"

"And when I needed help, lo and behold, you appeared to save me!" She grinned. "It seems like my luck's pretty good!" With that confident swagger, she departed down the jetty, heading for her boat.

Lily made a series of clicking noises that Gajeel recognized as concern. He couldn't help but concur – even a monkey could see how badly this was going to go for her. He couldn't help but fixate on her size. No muscles, no armour.

_She's going to get killed out there. She's far too little to make it._

He was fully aware of his pet monkey's reproachful stare. He hated that the simian was clearly the smarter one in this partnership.

"Hey, she's not my responsibility! I wish her all of the luck in the world, but it's not my duty to play babysitter to every child that wants to see the great big world!"

* * *

Two days passed without any news. On the third day, when Gajeel was nursing a pint of ale, Makarov ran up accompanied by two marines.

"Heya, Gramps…"

"Don't 'Gramps' me," Makarov snapped. "Where is the scroll?"

"Huh?"

"The marines located the treasure of the Alcatraz pirates and the scroll was missing, you fool!"

"Hold up, what scroll?"

"Why do you think such small fry had such a high bounty, you moron?" Makarov raged. "There is reliable information that they raided a trade vessel almost a year ago containing the Dead Sea Scroll!"

Gajeel's eyes widened. "The Dead Sea…but I didn't take it! There was one pirate left! Did you find him?"

"Yes," stated one of the marines in a clipped tone. "He was most…pliable after your display."

"Then where could it be?" Makarov shouted.

Gajeel's slow brain took a full ten seconds to process the information. "Oh, you motherfu…" He quickly explained the situation in as much detail as possible, quickly surmising that the girl must have taken the scroll.

"We need to find her," Makorov said, stating the obvious, "did you get her name?"

"Ummm…Shorty McShorterson?" Gajeel guessed, face scrunching up as he prepared to face Makarov's wrath. The old man was going _very _red in the face. Having only remembered height-based puns was not going to sit well with a man as short as the old geezer.

* * *

"…uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuckeeeeeeee eeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Gajeel screamed as he raced down to the docks as fast as his legs could take him. Dockhands jumped out of the way in fright as the renowned pirate hunter hurtled through.

This was his mess. A full one million gold rested on him getting that scroll back, but screw that! Think of the loss in reputation! A tiny woman snatches treasure from right under his nose? Pirate bests pirate hunter? He'd never live it down!

He cut the moorings even as he leapt aboard the Metalicana. He pushed off from the docks with his formidable strength and let the sail unfurl.

He was going to kill her.

First, he'd have to save her, because surely she'd be in way over her head.

But then, once she was safe and sound, he was going to kill her.


	3. Leviathan of the Deep

Gajeel was trying to calm down, to understand this situation clearly. He'd seen the direction that she set sail, so he'd gone in that direction and laid a map on the deck of his ship. He traced a line across it, but there weren't any islands in the vicinity. Where was she going? There was a little scrap of rocks, too small to be called an island, really. It wasn't much hope, but he had to aim for it. If nothing else, she may be using it for guidance and leave some clue behind.

Now, what was she after? The Dead Sea Scrolls were fairly legendary. Fabled to lead you to the greatest treasure in the great sea if you could read the damn thing! Now, Gajeel was old enough and wise enough to assume that was hyperbole, but there was a lot of treasure to be found out there! It had been a notorious artefact but it had dropped off of the radar about a year ago. Apparently, someone had a translator lined up, but the ship was lost. Clearly, he'd been attacked by pirates.

"Grah! What was her name again!?" Gajeel shouted at the sky. "Something like Shorty Mcshorterson. There was definitely a 'Mc' in there! Was there a 'short'…no, think damnit, Gajeel!"

He scowled, resigned to thinking instead of punching, one of his favourite activities. If she had the scroll…was she using it? His eyes opened in shock realisation. She could read the fucking scroll! She could read an ancient language.

About three gears clicked into operation at once inside Gajeel's cranium. The translator, what was the name? There was often a famous name for a job. Need a geologist, a historian, a blacksmith? Well, you want the Goulds, the Franklyns, the Automatix's. What was the family name associated with decryption and translation? Gajeel closed his eyes and thought as hard as he'd ever thought, trying to remember any little snippet of information.

The Mc…somethingsomething…s

Mc?

Mc!

"Shorty's from a family in the business of translation!" Gajeel raged as it fell into place. "She can read the scroll…that leads to the MOST WONDROUS TREASURE IN THE GREAT SEA!"

…not that he was interested, of course. But still, also she had his reputation, and that was pretty goddamn valuable too. He needed to catch up to her if he could.

* * *

The sea had been kind to her upon reaching her first goal. The water had been calm and the wind gentle and easy to manage. Levy was not the greatest seafarer in the world, but she was learning. The vessel's small size made it easy to control at the very least.

Her first destination looked like nothing more than a pile of rocks to the untrained eye. It certainly wouldn't be classified as an island. She moored her boat and jumped 'ashore'. Now, the scroll gave a few directions, to clamber up to the highest spire… She looked up helplessly. She'd never quite felt so short as the jagged spire went on up. It took her about an hour of knee scraping and elbow banging to find what she was looking for. A small ledge with a curious selection of sharp rocks jutting out from the cliff face. They looked natural enough to the unobservant, but as she touched them, they rotated freely.

"Right," she read aloud from the scroll, "turn left, right, up, right, down, up." She turned the series of rocks as told and she was rewarded as a small section of cliff receded to reveal a small alcove. She peered inside and the object she sought stared back at her.

It looked like nothing more than a large gold coin or medallion, about five inches in diameter. Its surface was inscribed with the kanji, _tsuki_, meaning earth. She grinned foolishly at the small trinket. Once you knew how to get it, it was simple! A child could do it! But you needed a master of languages to actually get you there.

With a big grin, she set off.

* * *

Just over a day later, Gajeel came across that very same rock. He expertly noted the loose rocks kicked around where she had passed. He found the empty recess and snarled. There'd clearly been something here, but she'd already taken it. Which way had she gone?

He slipped down the spire, trudging back to his boat. Damn it! How could he track her now? He spread the map on the deck of the Metalicana and studied with the intensity of a man possessed. This rock was a goddamn speck of dust on the map – who knew where the next target for her was? It could be anywhere!

Lily made a racquet, and annoyed, Gajeel strode over to look at what his partner had found. In the rock face there was an arrow as if drawn by chalk. Gajeel stared out along its length into the horizon. She was either profoundly stupid or profoundly clever. Either, the poor seafarer had left herself a reminder in case she got lost, or this was a diversionary tactic.

Gajeel drew his sextant and tried to plot the course that the arrow was suggesting. It didn't actually go anywhere…but then again, this first island basically didn't exist on any map. Not without a magnifying glass, anyway. He had no choice but to follow it.

* * *

On the way to her second destination, Levy withdrew the heart-shaped locket from around her neck, but didn't open it. She clutched it tightly and closed her eyes, imagining the photo inside rather than looking at it. Her heart always hurt to remember it…the kind man who had come to their front door and told them that…_he'd_ _never be coming home._

"I can do it," Levy promised. "I'll fulfill your dream."

It took a couple of days, but Levy finally reached another tiny rock of an island. She wondered if a passerby would even give it the time of day. It was just such a worthless scrap of land.

Perfect to hide things.

At least it was much flatter and Levy did not have to scale a huge spire this time. The 'password' was different here. Having prepared, Levy drew a flint and tinder from her supplies. Atop the rocky plateau, four ropes had been laid into the rock, holes drilled through by means she could not guess at. The scroll had said to light the western one, so she checked her compass, and double-checked it to be sure. Picking the wrong one was almost certainly a booby trap, after all. Having been exposed to the elements, it took a moment to light, but it did finally spark up. Levy watched as the fire travelled down the rope and into the hole. A few seconds passed and she was rewarded with a grinding sound as a hidden panel sprung open.

The coin marked with the symbol of 'fire' was soon added to 'earth'. Two of the keys were so easily gathered. She hoped the remaining two would be as simple. She rather fancied that the hider of the treasure used the scroll as the main line of defence. Having plotted her course, she again drew an arrow on the rock to remind herself of where she was going. Map-reading was not her greatest strength after all, and she figured that every little helped.

* * *

Despite having missed her, Gajeel was glad to happen upon her second mark, for it meant that he was on the right track. He wasted no time in going after it, kicking the Metalicana off of the rock face. He glanced up into the sky. He was going to be sailing into a brutal-looking storm.

He vaguely hoped that the Shorty hadn't gone right into that. He wasn't sure if her boat, or indeed her, could survive it. Not that he cared, of course, but he needed a cadaver and a scroll to return with him.

"You wanted adventure, Shorty? Well, this is the great sea. Along with the sunny skies, you have to take the bad. It'll be a good lesson for you."

* * *

Levy whimpered as rain and wind lashed at her again and again. It was so hard to see anything now, with the thick black storm clouds stopping even the meager moonlight. She had furled the sail to protect it, and desperately wished to retreat to the cabin. But the safety of the room was an illusion, she knew. She needed to keep control of her vessel if she were to survive. It lurched sideways under a huge swell and wrong-footed, Levy slammed against the side of the ship. Recovering, she noted with horror that the fine chain of her pendant had snapped and the locket now precariously rested near the boat's side.

She screamed and lunged for it, but father Poseidon is not merciful and the boat crashed down off of the wave, almost fully submerging before bobbing up again, the mast snapped. Levy's tears for her precious memento were lost in the driving rain.

* * *

The storm had been travelling perpendicular to their course and by the time Gajeel reached where it had been, it had mostly moved on bar a few choice swells and gales. He was somewhat happy not to see any detritus as he went. It looked like she had made it through.

Lily suddenly screeched from the crow's nest, and plunged into the water. Gajeel had barely any time to register his confusion before the little monkey had returned with something clutched between his fingers. Lily dropped it into Gajeel's hand. Gajeel admired the little heart-shaped pendant. Was it the Shrimp's? It could have floated from about anywhere. He worked the fiddly catch for a moment and it flipped open to reveal the photos inside.

Lily cocked his head, trying not for the first time in his simian brain to comprehend his master's thoughts. This display was most unusual. Normally Gajeel was angry, violent, drunk or joyous. But not right now.

He was crying.

Tears dripped down his face, his jaw trembling with emotion. The locket snapped shut and he placed a hand over his face. He dragged words out slowly, as if they were incredibly heavy.

"Goddamit, Shortstack. I get it now."

* * *

Levy was periodically crying and raging. With her mast snapped, her ship had no motive power. And it wasn't like she could row! It was a huge boat for a single person to move, let alone someone of her tiny physical strength. What could she do? Await rescue? Swim for it? Both were absurd, but at least mutually exclusive. She sighed, trying to calm down. At least the boat was seaworthy, and the skies had cleared. Mind you, that sun was rather hot. No, no, it would help her dry out. This was good. Think positive!

Positively, what happened next was a miracle. An event so rare that Levy should consider herself lucky to witness it. It was however, insanely unlucky to be caught up in. She had no idea what was happening as her boat suddenly surged upwards into the sky, the deck splintering like matchwood. She knew enough to grab onto what she could as the fractured boat slammed back into the waves.

As her tiny makeshift raft bobbed on the waves, she could see what had happened and she was absolutely terrified. Her small boat had been caught up in a fight. A fight between two of the mightiest denizens of the great sea. An Island Whale, enormous and gray with age was wrestling with one of the most malevolent hunters in existence.

A Kraken.

A clawed tentacle snapped and an enormous spray of blood erupted from the mammal as it bit down on another tentacle, severing it in a spray of green goo. The poor beast was done, though. Half-drowned from the struggle to the surface and weak from its ancient nature, it had little strength to continue fighting, and the Kraken knew it.

It registered the tiniest bite on one of its many arms. A bullet. Enormous, evil yellow orbs alighted on the girl who was screaming bloody murder at it. She was fiddling with her pistol, trying to reload. How dare this evil beast ruin her adventure? Who cared that the storm might have already done it? It is hard to be angry with a storm – this beast could take her full anger instead.

The Kraken was a beast known for its huge brain and evil personality – it did rather enjoy toying with its prey. It let the whale go, knowing that it could not go very far. A tentacle moved, smashing the remains of Levy's boat into kindling and hurling her into the ocean. She coughed and spluttered, desperately trying to re-orient herself. She managed to grasp a plank of wood like a life preserver.

The Kraken was using its favourite method to torment humans. Levy watched aghast as tentacles, thick as an oak tree, arose from the water like a titanic cage. She could barely bring herself to look down, at the massive four-parted beak slowly rising towards her. Down was death, but the arms of the Kraken blocked escape in all directions. Unless she suddenly sprouted wings, there was no way out.

She could just about make out the eyes of the Kraken, and could see its foul joy. Of putting someone in a helpless position before it killed them. She'd never been so frightened, never had her simple worldview so crushed by meaningless vindictiveness. This was supposed to be an adventure, a great tale of joy and excitement, but instead it was to end miserably.

"I'm sorry, but I failed. I'm just too small and weak," she wept, expecting them to be her last words. Instead, she heard a bellowing voice in the near distance. It had taken almost a week, but the Metalicana was a fast ship and had made up the two days difference in departure times.

"Lily! I'll deploy the screws and bring her about! You deploy the ram!" There was laughter, roaring, maniacal. "Looks like its calamari tonight!"

* * *

**Sorry that I've been away for a while, but I'll try to be more regular now.**

**Can you let me know about this chapter? I feel like it went too fast, but it's just kind of how the story unfurled. Tell me if anything needs clarification or expansion. Obviously, some of it is to be revealed at a later date – I'm not telling you the locket's contents!**


	4. The Smallest Leviathan

Underneath the Metalicana's mighty hull powerful screws began to turn, increasing its speed massively. From the dragon-head on the prow, a large spear-like ram began to unfurl. With a bawdy laugh, Gajeel ordered 'ramming speed' and drove his ship right into one of the Kraken's many arms. With an awful squelch, the mollusc's arm bisected, the tendril falling lifeless into the sea.

With a bizarre subsonic wail, the Kraken announced its rage and tentacles lashed out at Gajeel and his ship. There was no way that he could dodge them, so he didn't even try. As the nearest reached him, he leapt off of his boat, driving his sword into the arm. Stuck fast, the blade was fully capable of supporting his weight.

Levy screamed as the Metalicana slammed into the waves next to her, propelled by the Kraken's strike. She was bewildered that the vessel was still whole. What the hell was it made of? She realized that Lily was chattering from the deck and she swam over and clambered aboard.

Gajeel swung around, and a second tentacle fell away as his sword cut through flesh. But with his purchase gone, Gajeel was falling and bless its evil heart, but the Kraken was aiming for that, it's awful, beak-like mouth directly underneath him, rising out of the water.

"Thanks, I was hoping for that," Gajeel shouted, letting go of his sword and drawing a pair of long pistols. No matter how big, how dangerous, all beasts had one vulnerable area, and the Kraken's were huge. His guns roared and both of the Kraken's eyes ruptured. It screamed a vile noise in its pain and Gajeel hurled aside his spent pistols and grabbed his sword.

Roaring a battle cry, Gajeel surged downwards and drove his sword into the Kraken's mantle. Levy gasped as the beast disappeared beneath the waves, taking Gajeel with it. Seemingly unconcerned, his monkey dove into the water and retrieved the guns, shaking the water out of them.

"Just how smart are you?" Levy gasped at the monkey. She could have sworn that it smiled in response.

Gajeel resurfaced, spluttering and swam to the boat. He shook out his dreads like a wet dog. The little woman was looking at him like he was a madman or something.

"Did you kill that thing by yourself?" She cried.

"What? No, of course not! I just needed some air. He'll be back in a second. Poor bastard's down to sonar now, you can't expect him to be quick anymore." Gajeel said it as if it was all obvious, matter of fact. In the near distance, tentacles speared through the water's surface.

"What are we gonna do?" Levy croaked, clearly panicking.

"Nothing."

"NOTHING!?" Levy shrieked.

"Jeez, learn to read the situation, Shorty!" As if to underscore his point, the Kraken suddenly slammed sideways. Levy never really saw it, but it was the whale. Instead of retreating, the clever mammal knew that escape was impossible for it and had come back in to help. Powerful jaws clamped down on the Kraken's mantle…which had no skull to protect its brain. Tentacles spasmed for a long minute, and then it was still.

High pitched clicks and squeals echoed through the water.

"You're welcome!" Gajeel called with a wave. "Enjoy your meal, big guy!"

"I…uh, thank you for saving me!" Levy stammered, trying to regain her bearings on life. The tall man turned to glare at her and she shrank back.

"Your name," he ground out, "what was it again?"

"Um…Levy McGarden?" She asked, as if she was unsure of the answer.

"Right, McGarden," Gajeel sighed as if that was the final piece of the puzzle he'd been searching for. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the locket. The reaction was instantaneous. Levy hurled herself at him, practically clambering up him in her desperation to get it back. "Calm down, Shorty! I'm gonna give it back! Jeez!"

"It's important!" She retorted, clutching it to her chest.

"It's your dad, right?" He asked gently. She looked incredibly angry at that. How dare he look inside? "I mean, he looks a bit like you, same hair colour, an older guy."

"Yes, he is," she replied curtly.

"I think I understand you now, Shorty. McGarden. That's the name of a whole bunch of wordy people, right?"

"Linguists and translators," she huffed. "Not 'wordy people'."

"So it stands to reason that if someone owned the Dead Sea Scrolls and wanted them translated, they'd go to your family, right? And about a year ago, the scrolls went missing, just after a translator was found. That…was your dad, right?"

"Shut up!" Levy shouted, tears in her eyes. "I don't need you to remind me!"

"The boat went missing with all hands. It could have been a storm…or even one of those beasts, but it appears that it was attacked by pirates. They took the scroll and killed everyone who stood in their way. Including your father."

"SHUT UP!" Levy screamed, pounding her fists against Gajeel's chest. "This adventure is all that I have left of him! To complete the goal that he wanted to accomplish!"

"I understand," Gajeel said gently.

"How could you!?"

Gajeel sighed. "I was five years old when pirates came to my island. I can't remember much of it, I was just too young. But there are things that I cannot forget. There was fire, and shouting, lots of it. My father running out to meet them with the other men of the village. His back rushing to fight was the last thing that I ever saw of him."

Levy was silent, listening intently as tears glistened in the corner of Gajeel's eyes.

"And then I remember my mum, shielding me as men burst into the house. They shot her dead as she cradled me. Two left, but one decided to stay…for reasons that I don't like to think about. It should have been over for me, but old man Makarov was there, driving the pirates away…he's a great man."

Gajeel sniffled, wiping his eyes.

"So if you want to tell me that you have feelings based on a dead parent, then yes, I understand. I understand very well."

"I…I'm sorry. I understand why you hate pirates so much now," Levy said, head hung. "B…but, I'm not like them! It's not what it should be about! It's about the thrill of adventure…" She trailed off as she looked down at herself. She was sodden and all banged up. "But, it's too much for me. I'm not big or strong enough to do it. Here, you're after this, right?"

Levy drew the scroll and offered it to Gajeel. He looked at it for a long moment and then moved, walking over to the steering wheel. He grinned.

"So, which way is it to the next island?"

Levy blinked, her smile slowly spreading. "Are you serious?"

"What sort of cold-hearted bastard would I be to deny a girl her dying father's wish? Come on Shorty Mcshorterson, let's go find this treasure!" Levy was so happy that it took a few moments for the insult to sink in. She went violently red.

"My name is not Shorty! I just look small compared to those two Leviathans!"

"I know, I'll call you Leviathan! It'll be ironic, get it? Cuz you're really small, and they're really big! Gihihihihi!"

"You know, Leviathan's a long word," Levy said, eyebrow twitching. "Why don't you shorten it to Levi?"

"Good idea, Levi!" Gajeel replied, not quite understanding why the Shrimp was smiling like that. After all, he'd already forgotten her name. Lily shook his head, as ever the smarter of the duo. Levy looked down and tapped the decking.

"I don't understand how this ship survived the big octopus. It smashed my boat to kindling."

"The deck's wood, but the vessel itself is crafted out of iron! The Metalicana's the strongest ship on the great sea! Gihihihi!"

"You're lying to me," Levy pouted. "Iron can't float, it's too heavy. Boats have to be made of wood."

"Well Levi, it looks like there's a few things about seafaring that I can teach you. We've got a while to go, after all!"

* * *

They went on their merry adventure, and Gajeel was amazed to watch the small girl read the bizarre scroll so easily. With Gajeel's help reading the stars for navigation, they quickly reached the third island. There was a series of deep pools on the island. Gajeel watched as Levy deciphered which one held the treasure. But, she moped, it was too deep for her.

Gajeel dived down and down through twisting caverns where the only light was bizarre luminescent fungi growing on the walls. At the bottom, he found the third coin marked with the kanji of water and resurfaced.

"You're amazing!" Levy gushed, blushing as she registered what she'd just said.

"It's just cuz my lungs aren't all titchy, Levi!" He said with a big smirk.

They travelled onwards to the fourth and final island. Along the way, Levy watched as Gajeel slaughtered a passing fish for food. The blasted thing was bigger than the boat! She missed a certain level of sanity in her life, but felt like she could get used to this.

The final island was almost like an entire musical instrument carved out of rock. Gajeel was amazed to hear the notes as wind blew through the opening in rock faces, like a giant ocarina. Levy followed the sounds effortlessly, the scroll telling her which was the right notes. Opening after opening passed, until she found the coin of air.

"You're pretty good with this clever stuff," Gajeel remarked.

Couldn't have done it without you!" She beamed back. "But we've got all four keys now! Time to head to the final destination!"

They went on, travelling across the cerulean ocean waves under Levy's guidance and Gajeel's nautical prowess. It took a few days, but an island came into view. It looked a bit like a mountain poking out of the water…but it was actually a volcano. A long extinct caldera. As they came closer, they began to notice other things. Along the mountain walls it looked like casements had been carved out of the very rock. Cannons poked out of every nook and cranny. A dozen galleons were moored at the volcano's base.

"It's a pirate citadel," Gajeel noted. "A big one. Look at that flag."

Levy looked up at the Jolly Roger flying over the mountaintop. The skull was like that of a hunting cat with large teeth.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"The Sabretooth Pirates. The largest and most powerful pirate crew in these parts. So that's where the bastards have been hiding. They must have found the treasure, damn them!"

"No!" Levy waved her hands about frantically, trying to get Gajeel's attention. "They may have found the place it's hidden, but they can't open it without the keys! We still have a chance!"

"Levi, are you telling me you want to break into the citadel of the most powerful pirate crew on the planet?"

"Um…well…," she stammered.

"Great! Let's go!"

"WHAT!?"

"GIHI! Didn't I tell you that the Metalicana is the most powerful boat on the great sea? It's time to show you this dragon's roar!"


	5. All That Glitters is Not Gold

The dragon head prow on the Metalicana began to open. An enormous double length cannon began to protrude. Levy gaped. The most powerful vessel on the great sea indeed.

"Gihihihi! An eight inch calibre cannon with extended rifling for increased accuracy at long range and a double size chamber for extra explosive power! Pick a point in that wall and we're going right through!" He laughed again. "It's so powerful that the screws have to be engaged to counteract the force. We'd bowl over backwards otherwise!"

"That sounds dangerous," Levy noted, surprised at the rising thrill in her heart. Gajeel saw her mouth tug into an involuntary smile and he grinned in return.

"Life's dangerous, Levi! Now, do you see that wall?"

"Yes?"

"Gihi! Not for long! FIRE!" Gajeel ignited the cannon and the Metalicana roared. The shell tore free of its jacket, spinning at great rotation as it hurtled towards the wall. The wall of the shell began to crumble, forming a corkscrew of rotating iron shards behind it. The shell didn't hit the wall: it went through in one blow. As it did so, its trailing shrapnel widened the hole made, causing a huge section of wall to collapse in on itself.

"There's our doorway!" Gajeel yelled over the monstrous din of the cannon. "Full power to the screws! We're taking her in!"

_Hold on dad, _Levy thought. _Your little girl will make you proud._

* * *

Gajeel steered his small craft expertly through the ruins of the wall until the water was no more. He slammed mooring hooks into the rock face and they began to ascend up the crumbled fortifications. Angry shouts could be heard down the wall high above but Gajeel paid them no mind and pulled Levy forward, into the fortress itself.

It was dark inside. The wall of the volcano had either been hollowed out or had been full of natural openings anyway. Based on the fortifications outside, the former seemed more likely. Levy barely had the time to register the presence of enemies appearing out of the gloom before Gajeel slew them with great swings of his sword.

"Where are we heading?" Levy asked as Gajeel pushed past an opening, picking a path for reasons she couldn't understand.

"Where would you hide the treasure?"

"The very centre of the volcano…I get it," she said, feeling foolish. She squealed as Gajeel vanished from her immediate field of view. A huge body shoved past her, slamming Gajeel into the wall with tremendous force. He had green hair and a muscular exposed torso showing his strength. Still, Gajeel had caught the sword swing on his own blade.

"You're a strong one," Gajeel noted with a twinkle in his eye. "Orga Nanagear, bounty 30'000."

Levy never really saw it. Gajeel pushed off from the wall, shouldering Orga back and in the tiny space that he's opened, slashed his sword in an upward diagonal arc. Orga's head parted from its shoulder and plopped to the floor with depressing silence.

"Oi, you're smart. Remember where we left that head. I want to pick it up on the way out."

"Is this normal to you!? People's heads just coming off?" Levy murmured.

"Just make sure that it isn't yours," he said with a smirk, pressing on down the hallway. Levy couldn't help but notice that he was leading her by the hand, shielding her with his bulk in the narrow corridor. Maybe he was more heroic that he'd ever let on.

* * *

The stone caverns eventually gave way to open air. They were in the volcano's caldera now. Across the bowl shaped structure, the Sabretooth pirates had constructed an elaborate series of wooden walkways, many levels high. They were like the spokes of a wheel coming out from the very centre, where a stone pillar rose high into the sky.

"It's gotta be there!" Levy exclaimed, before suddenly noticing the legion of pirates from all around looking up at the pair. "I…I…I…"

"Come on, Levi! Time to quick ass!" Gajeel thundered down the walkway that they were currently on. Levy looked around helplessly and did the only thing she could: stay by his side. She drew her cutlass and pistol and pressed on after him, trying not to think about the insane odds here. She had to leave it all to him, pick her moment to shine.

On the narrow walkway, Sabretooth's numbers counted for nothing. Gajeel's swings cut across the entire width, sending dismembered bodies falling off of the side. Levy's pistol snapped, killing a man who'd been rushing up behind them, hoping that the girl was easier prey. It was certainly true that a concentrated effort would see her overrun. She glanced over at the next walkway and an idea formed.

"Throw me!" She shouted at Gajeel as a lull in the waves of men hit them. He looked at her like she was a bit crazy. She expected him to ask what she meant, but he actually smiled and shrugged. For a second she thought he'd wrenched her shoulder out of joint, but she was hurtling through the air, slamming down on the adjacent walkway, which was empty for the moment. She regathered her wits and clambered down to her goal.

Meanwhile, Gajeel had come across a pair of figures barring his way. His keen eye could see that these two were stronger than the average grunt here. One was blond, a scar marring his features along with his cocky grin. The other might have passed for Gajeel's brother, with his red eyes and black hair.

"Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney, the twin dragons," Gajeel said, sighing and wringing his shoulders. Killing several dozen men had been somewhat tiring. "After you two managed to escape Salamander, you got a total bounty of one point six million. Wanna know which is worth more?"

"Gajeel Redfox, huh? Don't know what business you have here, but you're sorely mistaken if you thinking that you're getting past the Lady, let alone us." Sting glanced over at his partner. "You always wanted to meet this guy, right?"

"Yes. I'm going to kill him, to see if he's stronger than that other Fairy Tail hunter," Rogue replied emotionlessly. In an instant, swords were drawn and the twin dragons were hurtling down the walkway. Gajeel held up a hand.

"WAIT!"

"What?" Sting replied, visibly annoyed. "Giving up already?"

"No…I just realized the little clever midget had me calling her by her real name. Leviathan, Levi, Levy. Clever girl!" Gajeel chuckled warmly.

"Why you…you mock us?" Sting shouted, surging back in. With a hearty laugh, Gajeel engaged the pair, parrying and slashing with mad fury.

* * *

Levy made it to the lower level and grinned. There were dozens of barrels and the smell and black marks made their contents rather obvious.

Blackpowder.

To use the scientific measure, there was a metric fuckton of it.

She began to cut the ropes that secured them.

"Hey you!" A man shouted angrily behind her. She looked guiltily at him, like a naughty child caught in the act. The puppy dog eyes momentarily disarmed him and she lashed forwards with her sword. He stumbled backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow and drew a pistol.

"You sure about that?" Levy asked with a grin. She was a small target, and there were an awful lot of explosives behind her. The man grinned a triumphant smile.

"I'm a good shot." The finger tightened on the trigger and for a moment Levy thought that it was all over. But then a black blur hit the man in the face and he screamed as Lily' monkey hands clawed at his eyes. Taking her chance, Levy stabbed him through the heart, somewhat unnerved by the enormity of what she'd done.

Her first kill with the sword.

It was oddly thrilling.

Lily made an odd chirrup, his head cocked and Levy smiled.

"I'm fine, thank you Lily! Nice to know that someone in your partnership has brains! Gihi!" She sniggered Gajeel's laugh and began to work on the ropes again. If she could get them all rolling down and explode them at the very base, the cataclysm would be extraordinary. It might collapse all of the walkways.

The ropes cut, the barrels began to roll away from her and impact on the rock below.

She squealed in surprise as a knife slammed into the wood next to her head. She turned to see a woman clad in luxurious furs stride calmly down the walkway towards her. Her features were hooded and cruel. Even Levy had heard the name of the Sabre's leader.

The Lady, Minerva.

Those lips twisted into a cruel smile upon seeing such weakling prey and her hands flickered faster than Levy's eyes could follow. Levy didn't react properly as four more knives flew out and one cut her forearm. She winced. The Lady was coming closer slowly. If her aim was good at this range, how bad would it be as she got closer?

Four more knives were coming but flickers of steel parried them all. Levy was absolutely amazed. Lily had picked up the knives of Minerva's previous throw and was wielding all four at the same time, one in each palm, one clenched in between his teeth and another in his tail.

"Hah! Gajeel sure keeps you around for good reason!" Levy laughed, amused by the absurdity of the situation.

"You dare mock me?" Minerva asked in a smooth, calm voice. "To think I must waste my time with a child and a monkey. How low have we fallen?"

"I may be a child compare to you, but I'm not the fool who has a safe with no key!" Levy smirked.

Minerva suddenly scowled. "And what, my dear, do you mean by that?"

"This treasure is mine! It belongs to me and I am going to take it from you!"

"You…you brat!" Minerva raged. "I will kill you for such insolence!"

Levy had no idea what happened as Minerva crossed the distance between them so fast she simply couldn't keep up. A long elegant katana was in Minerva's hands and Levy just about managed to parry, but her sword skittered out of her hands, along the planking and off of the edge. She threw herself forward and rolled away as Lily distracted Minerva, knives flashing. Weapons thrown, Lily swung up into the higher walkway with his simian agility.

As Minerva returned her focus on Levy, the smaller girl was pointing her pistol squarely at her.

"You silly girl," Minerva said as she dropped into a ready pose. "I can easily deflect that."

"Maybe, but I'm not aiming for you!" Levy dropped her aim, shooting through a gap in the floorboards. Her aim was pretty shoddy and the bullet missed the black powder spill entirely.

Which was good, as it struck rock, creating a tiny spark.

Minerva had no time to register her death as splinters of wood drove into her back driven by great concussive force, the flame engulfing her moments later. Levy managed to get a bit further up the walkway before it overtook her, blackness swarming her senses.

* * *

On the higher platform, Gajeel, Sting and Rogue were spared a quick death. The decking splintered and fractured as chunks of debris crashed through. The whole platform began to lean and they skittered over to the left, desperately trying to keep their footing.

Not letting up, Gajeel charged in even in the middle of the apocalypse, knocking Sting clear over the edge with a terrified scream. Rogue had only moments as Fairy Tail's master hunter brought his full attention to bear and he was sent falling too.

Gajeel leapt right after them.

In midair Gajeel drew his two pistols. They both cracked and in the mayhem of the moment he took the time to admire his handiwork as a hole appeared in both dragons' foreheads.

"Boom, headshot."

Letting go of his pistols and grabbing his sword, he shoved it into the nearest pillar, arresting the momentum of his fall. The whole structure was still collapsing though, and he leapt again and again, trying to get to the lower ground. Bless the Shrimp's little heart; she had a way with destruction after all!

At last, the whole structure had collapsed. The stone spire in the centre had somehow stood – Gajeel had no idea how – but the human structures had fallen. The caldera was littered by broken wood and mangled bodies. Gajeel glared at any survivors he came across and they all fled like stray dogs.

"OI! SHRIMP!" He called as loudly as he could. It looked like she hadn't made it. He gritted his teeth under shadowed eyes. He didn't care. He didn't care. He didn't…

Lily shrieked, drawing Gajeel's attention. The small monkey was perching on a pile of debris gesturing frantically. Gajeel rushed over and began digging through it. He tried not to show his relief as he found her, battered and bruised but very much alive. The tiny girl had survived by being just small enough not to be crushed, just fitting in the space the wooden planks left for her.

"I…I don't wanna adventure anymore," she mumbled drearily.

"Ah, don't say that!" Gajeel objected as he scooped her up. "Wait 'til you're all fixed up and we'll get you sailing again! And I don't know if you've forgotten, but there's a treasure just over there. Didn't you want it? Oh well, I'll just take it then, since clearly-"

"Alright, alright, just take me over there," she growled good-naturedly. How adorable. Gajeel carried her to the base of the spire, where there was a doorway etched into the rock. There were four holes in its surface and even Gajeel could figure this one out. They placed the coins in the holes and the door ground open, revealing the cavern within. Gajeel marvelled at the artifice. The door itself was metres thick and made of the densest rock he'd ever seen. No wonder the Sabres had failed to breach it.

* * *

Gajeel took a moment to light a torch and they descended down dark steps. Eventually it levelled out and there was an enormous cavern. Gajeel held up the torch and was rewarded by the returning gleam of thousands upon thousands of gold coins and gems. He gaped. It was an area larger than a football pitch, completely covered by a thick layer of immense value. It must be worth over a billion gold.

"Is that all?" Levy asked, voice laden with disappointment.

"I…do you not…I mean look at it…there's like…what?"

"Just gold and gems?" Levy was crying, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "My father died for gold and gems? Shouldn't it be more? Wasn't there more meaning?"

"I, jeez Shrimp, that's a loaded question," Gajeel replied.

"The greatest treasure on the great sea is pure monetary value? You can have it. I wanted more." Levy turned around and began to ascend up the stairs. Gajeel sighed and threw a sack to Lily, who started filling it. He may be a pirate hunter, but screw it, no one was gonna miss one sack full.

"Hey it's not safe to go up there alone!" Gajeel barked as he went after her. "There may be more pirates left!"

"What do you care?" Levy sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "Your job is done. Or do you plan to arrest me too?"

"Ah Shrimp, I ain't gonna arrest you! I might have a few days ago, but you really helped me here. We took out a giant pirate crew!" He brightened suddenly. "That's what your father did – he sent us here to make the world a better place. With the Sabres gone, there will be less piracy in these parts. You've helped save people's lives."

"Thanks for trying," Levy said bitterly, not turning around. Gajeel stared after her, visibly annoyed. He pursed his lips, thinking.

"Hey! You wanted adventure, right? Is that a good thing to come from this?"

"I can't," she replied miserably. "I'm too little, too weak to be an adventurer. I'm going to go home and live a safe life. Probably gonna be forced into marrying Jet or Droy. Hopefully Jet if Droy keeps putting on weight."

"Or, you could join me," Gajeel offered. Levy stopped and turned around. She'd never looked so confused.

"Wait, what?"

"Hey you're small, sure, but you're pretty smart! I could use someone like you around. Maybe reduce my collateral damage a little!" He looked around at the wreckage Levy had wrought with her black powder idea. "Well, maybe this isn't a good example…"

"Really? You'd want me?" Levy looked amazed.

"Gihi! Ever been to the Everlue islands?"

"No."

"They have giant trees there, as big as a lighthouse! And the fruit matches! I once spent a week eating a single banana from there! Then there's the Vegas island. It's got a weird climate. Half of it is blazing desert, the other half freezing tundra!"

"It does sound incredible."

"Then you wanna see it? The world is a giant place, and I've only seen a small bit myself, but my work takes me everywhere. Come with me, we'll set things right with Gramps, and you'll be part of Fairy Tail!"

"Um…I…"

"Course, if it's all a bit much, I'm sure Mira could use some help in the bar! What do you say; wanna go back home and read your adventure books…or do you wanna live one!?"

"I think I'd like to read," Levy replied with a sheepish smile, "while sailing to my next adventure!"

"Then come on! Time's a wasting!" Gajeel grinned as he picked her up and rushed towards their boat. Lily watched them go with amusement, slipping five gold coins into his waistband. Bananas weren't free, after all.

His master seemed to have changed recently. Big, rough tough Gajeel had had his childhood crushed. It had needed a helping hand to resurface, the monkey thought. This girl brought out his inner child, his inner goodness. She made him see the world as a better place, full of fun rather than death.

The monkey chattered a laugh as he shouldered the bag of riches.

Those two were clearly made for each other!

**===END===**

**Well, I hoped you enjoyed my little nautical jaunt. I never intended this one to be a long story, and it's nice to actually wrap one up for a change! I hadn't planned to end this chapter but I felt that what remained was short enough to tack on the end rather than have its own chapter.**

**But here's the question: I've done pirates and I'm doing medieval. I'm also preparing a 'real world' story, but I doubt that it'll be much good. So…what setting would you like to see for my next story? Samurai Gajeel in feudal Japan and the geisha girl? Some Victorian tale of the lady and the vagabond? A schoolyard setting?**

**It would probably be a short story rather than another epic jaunt. I have two of those going and it's rather tiring, but GaLe is so great to write!**

**Well, thank you for reading, whatever the case! **


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